Think Tank

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HR White Papers

  • Cognitive Ability Tests

    • Cognitive ability tests are designed to measure such things as how well an individual reasons, solves problems, plans, organizes, thinks abstractly, learns quickly and grasps the nature of complex problems.
  • Disparate Impact

    • Periodically employers express concern that cognitive ability tests can exhibit disparate impact. However, employers often fail to realize that this issue is not at all idiosyncratic to cognitive ability tests. This paper will discuss the multitude of commonly used hiring tools used by employers, which typically exhibit disparate impact, along with how employers can justify their use.
  • How to Minimize Ground-Based Challenges to Airlines

    • During challenging economic times, airlines need to be extremely competitive to survive and propser. While carriers certainly compete for business by means of pricing, schedules and various amenities, the travelling public's choice for air travel is also substantially impacted by the actions of an airline's employees.
  • Integrity Issues

    • This paper will provide various examples documenting the prevalence and impact of employee theft, other ethical breaches and general workplace counterproductivity. Additionally, it will focus on the various means by which employers can screen applicants who have a propensity of engaging in workplace theft and other problematic behaviors.
  • Integrity Testing

    • Periodically human resources and loss prevention professionals have the perception that the polygraph and integrity tests are similar in nature.
  • Job Analysis

    • Conducting a job analysis is often viewed as a rather mundane and necessary evil associated with the hiring process. Admittedly, the job analysis process can sometimes seem like documenting the obvious for no apparent reason. However, having a job analysis for each of an organization's positions or job families borders on imperative for a variety reasons.
  • Legal Implications

    • Many savvy employers are implementing technologies that are designed to improve and streamline their recruitment and selection efforts. These technologies include Internet-based and telephone Interactive Voice Response ("IVR") screening processes.
  • Minimizing Risk Exposure in Healthcare Organizations

    • In today’s fragile economy, healthcare settings have an increased exposure to various aspects of employee malfeasance. This paper discusses the frequency of problematic employee behavior and focuses on ways that human resource and risk management professionals can minimize employee malfeasance.
  • Ricci v. Destefano - A Tempest in a Teapot

    • The intent of this article is to provide some background regarding the Ricci v. Destefano case and its issues, as well as clarify that the decision probably has no impact on a typical employer's use of assessments or other hiring practices.
  • Screening Job Applicants to Minimize Employee Theft - Restaurants

    • Employee theft and other forms of counterproductivity are highly significant factors in determining the success or failure of restaurants. This article will focus on the various means by which restaurants can screen job applicants who have a propensity of engaging in workplace theft and other problematic behaviors. The advantages and disadvantages of each apporach will be discussed, along with underlying legal issues. Based on an analysis of the various approaches to applicant screening, best practices for the restaurant industry are recommended.

HR Case Studies

  • Pre-Employment Assessments

    • In 2007 researchers conducted a survey to ascertain what types of pre-employment screening tools were being used by the leading retailers in the United States.
  • Research Recommending The Use Of Integrity Testing

    • In October 2007 researchers from Cornell University released a Cornell Hospitality Report entitled “The Truth About Integrity Tests: The Validity and Utility of Integrity Testing for the Hospitality Industry.” The Report included a discussion of the various issues surrounding the use of integrity tests (e.g., legal, accuracy, cost effectiveness) and the findings of the authors’ recent research, as well as recommendations regarding the use of these tests in the hospitality industry.

HR Press Releases

  • Cognitive Ability Scores Show Steady Decline

    • A study released by Wonderlic, Inc. reveals a steady decline in the cognitive ability scores associated with specific education levels. This recent analysis compared a decade of occupational norms from a sample of over 200 employers, 2,000 jobs and 100,000 job applicants. Using the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT), the results shows a steady decline in the average scores for both college and high school graduates between 1970 and 2005.

  • Study Regarding Interviews Being Discriminitory

    • A study titled “Race-Ethnic Employment Discrimination in Upscale Restaurants: Evidence from Paired Comparison Testing” by Bendick, Rodriquez, Jayaraman and the Restaurant Opportunity Center-United was recently released.
  • Wonderlic Announces Relationship With Taleo

    • Wonderlic, Inc., the leading provider of employee, recruiting and selection solutions, has reached an agreement to work in conjunction with Taleo, the global leader in talent management solutions.
  • Wonderlic Contributors Honored with Prestigious Award

    • Dr. Murray Barrick and Dr. Mick Mount, partners in the development of Wonderlic’s PCI, WPI, and WPI-BQ, will be receiving the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) 2009 Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award.

  • Wonderlic to Launch Distance Learning Solution at Career College Association Trade Show

    • According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the estimated number of students that will enroll in a distance learning program by 2013 is 18.2 million, which is similar to the total population of all adult learners in 2006. In response to this growing trend, Wonderlic has created a solution to help school administrators select students who possess characteristics needed to succeed in these online education programs.

HR News

  • Upcoming Tradeshows:

    • Wonderlic is present at conventions and tradeshows throughout the year, sharing new assessment and technology functionality, presenting on critical business and education topics, offering certification classes on certain licensed solutions, and so much more! Check out our upcoming events here.
  • Update from the Career College Association Convention

    • Wonderlic recently attended the Career College Association Conference and Exposition at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, June 14-16, 2009. This annual conference draws over 13,000 attendees including presidents, owners, directors and administrators of career colleges from across the United States and Puerto Rico.

  • Update from the National Retail Federation Loss Prevention Conference

    • Wonderlic representatives recently attended the National Retail Federation’s Loss Prevention (“NRF-LP”) conference held at the LA Convention Center, June 15-17, 2009. Attendees were introduced to new Wonderlic Retail Solutions, which aid clients in identifying candidates with integrity based issues that impact emergency/crisis management, safety compliance, shrink, sales and profitability.

  • Wonderlic and Spike TV's 4th and Long

    • Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is on a quest to give one football hopeful a shot at making the Dallas Cowboys roster! The 10-episode series shot at the famed Cotton Bowl in Dallas includes twelve football amateurs who must endure rigorous competition overseen by Irvin. Yes, these hopefuls will be taking the Wonderlic in the final episode!

HR Articles

  • Five Reasons To Think About A Hiring System

    • Customized hiring packages. Talent acquisition systems. Complete solutions. They’re all ways of talking about the newest trend in HR - a customized, many-faceted plan designed to transform, streamline and boost the quality of your hiring.

  • Help Your Good Hires Survive In Tough Economic Times

    • Do your employees feel secure in their jobs? It’s difficult for managers and supervisors to know for sure. In these tough economic times – especially if your company has recently experienced layoffs or there’s a whisper of staff cuts in the wind – it’s not uncommon for even the best employees to feel insecure and anxious about keeping their jobs, their livelihoods and their financial security.
  • Organize Your Hiring Via The Internet

    • Some days, it’s almost impossible to remember how we ever did our jobs before the Internet. While there are certainly down sides to technology - how much time do you spend in a day checking and sending email? - it’s a fact that the Internet has streamlined a myriad of HR tasks, increased productivity and in general, made HR offices more efficient.
  • Recession ROI

    • These days, it doesn’t matter if you’re hiring, training new employees, re-training existing employees or a combination of the above, it’s all about one thing: ROI. That’s return on investment. Whatever the expense you incur, be it minimal or large; whatever the amount effort you expend, be it hours, days, weeks or months of time and energy, it must be justified by how much return it brings into the company in the end. And more often than not, it means getting the most return for the least investment. This is true now, in this recovering economy, more than ever before.

  • Ride With The Tide

    • You know the old saying: Change is the only constant. In other words, even in the most stable of situations, change is going to happen. That’s a given. What’s not a given is a person’s ability to deal with and adapt to that change.
  • Starting January 1st, Employers Need Job Analyses Even More than Before

    • On January 1, 2009 the ADA Amendments Act ("Act") will become effective. The Act mandates that courts more broadly construe the definition of disability, including the meaning of the term substantially limits a major life activity, plus reverses a number of Supreme Court holdings that previously narrowed the definition of disability.
  • The Fallout From Infrequent Feedback:

    • For managers, supervisors and HR execs in many corporate workplaces, the demands of simply doing the job oftentimes get in the way of the details. One of those details is employee performance feedback. Somehow, Monday through Friday passes again and again without managers finding the time to really reflect on how their people are doing.
  • Training Matters

    • Rejoice, HR departments! Training is an important key to success! This is the conclusion of recent study by a professor of business administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  • Where Did Loyalty Go? Ideas To Create A More Loyal Workforce

    • Is your workforce loyal to your company or self-motivated? If your business suddenly went through a very bad patch, which of your employees would stay and work harder to get you out of it, and which would look for new jobs? More often than not, the answer to that question depends on the type of company you have, the type of culture you have fostered, and the type of hiring you have done.

Speakers

  • David W. Arnold, Ph.D., J.D., Corporate Counsel

    • Dr. Arnold’s primary expertise is with legal issues concerning privacy, negligent hiring, employment testing and equal employment opportunity matters. He also serves as General Counsel for the Association of Test Publishers. In this capacity, Dr. Arnold has testified on many occasions before various legislative committees on issues related to testing.
  • Rick Betori, President

    • Rick Betori has over twenty years of sales, marketing, and business development experience. Prior to joining Wonderlic, Rick was Principal of INSinc Management Consulting, a Chicago-area consulting firm specializing in strategic consultation and sales process design.

Client Results

  • Accomplish, Inc.

    • Based in Chicago, Accomplish, Inc. is a People Development Company that specializes in helping businesses to recruit, develop and manage the performance of their best people.
  • Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation

    • Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation has been meeting its customers’ insurance needs from its headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1887. The company offers a diverse range of products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, retirement plans, banking, dental and eye plans, and worksite benefits.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • Anixter

    • Anixter is a leading global supplier of communications and security products, electrical and electronic wire and cable, fasteners and other small components. Anixter helps its customers specify solutions and make informed purchasing decisions around technology, applications and relevant standards. Throughout the world, Anixter provides innovative supply chain management services to reduce its customers total cost of production and implementation.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • Apple Chevrolet

    • Apple Chevrolet is a busy 100-employee dealership that sells a full line of Chevys, Acuras and Subarus in York, Pennsylvania. Apple uses the CPP and the WPT in hiring all types of employees, from the sales force to clerical workers.

    Solution:Comprehensive Personality Profile® (CPP®)

  • Aquarium Of The Pacific

    • At almost 160,000 square feet, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, is one of the largest aquariums in the United States. More than 500 species fill 19 major habitats and 32 exhibits, taking visitors on a journey throughout the Pacific Ocean’s three regions: Southern California/Baja, the Tropical Pacific, and the Northern Pacific.

    Solution:Personal Characteristics Inventory® (PCI)

  • Arnold Logistics LLC

    • Arnold Logistics LLC is a full-service logistics provider with more than 20 facilities encompassing more than 5 million square feet of warehousing space and more than 1,200 employees. Since 1976, the company has expanded its total business solution from general warehousing to include fulfillment, contract packaging/manufacturing, reverse logistics, and transportation.

    Solution:Hay Aptitude Test Battery

  • BRP

    • BRP manufactures Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and sport boats, Johnson and Evinrude outboard engines, and Bombardier all-terrain vehicles (ATV or Quad). The company also manufactures the RM1 karts and the reputable Rotax engines that propel not only the majority of their vehicles, but also small airplanes and motorcycles made by other renowned manufacturers such as Aprilia and BMW. BPR also produces a large range of clothing, parts, and accessories.

    Solution:Comprehensive Personality Profile® (CPP®)

  • Career Networks Institute

    • Career Networks Institute offers fully accredited Associates Degree and Diploma programs from six to twelve months of study. Graduates are employed by top medical facilities such as the West Anaheim Medical Center, Western Medical Center, Anaheim General Hospital, Chapman Medical Center, Anaheim Memorial, Hoag Hospital, UCI Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente.

    Solution:Wonderlic Employee Opinion Survey

  • CEO International

    • CEO International is a thriving international management consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing plant start-ups, business development, strategic planning, leadership development, change management, executive coaching and project management.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • Clayton County Fire Department

    • The Clayton County Fire Department employs 300 full-time firefighters and 15 administrative positions to serve a community of 259,736 people in Riverdale, Georgia. Firefighters respond to a variety of calls, including medical emergencies, natural disasters, and accidents, in addition to fires. Firefighters must also become emergency medical technicians in order to respond accurately to the range of emergency situations they face.
  • Coyne American Institute

    • Coyne American Institute is one of the nation’s oldest accredited technical training schools, offering training in electrical maintenance, air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, construction, computer repair, office and medical administration. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, in Arlington, VA and licensed and approved for training by the Illinois State Board of Education. It has two campuses in the Chicagoland area.

  • Dead River Company

    • The Dead River Company is one of the largest distributors of petroleum products to residential and commercial customers in northern New England. They deal in a variety of petroleum products on both the wholesale and retail levels, including home heating oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, propane and gasoline.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • Dipasqua Enterprises

    • DiPasqua Enterprises is one of the largest franchisees within the SUBWAY system worldwide. They presently operate 90 plus locations in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Marion counties in Central Florida with sales in excess of 40 million.
  • Doormark

    • Doormark is one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality thermofoil cabinet doors and drawer fronts in North America. Established in April, 1994, the company has 100 employees and is based near Miami, Florida.

    Solution:Wonderlic Productivity Index® (WPI®)

  • Education Affiliates

    • In this economy in which many people have lost their jobs and many more fear being laid off, career-training colleges, like those in the Education Affiliates network of some 40 schools nationwide, have seen a flood of applicants. That’s because the high rate of employment among graduates of these career schools almost guarantees that a job will be waiting when a student successfully finishes his or her studies. "This flood of applicants is one reason we need a selective admissions process," says Maryse Levy, Education Affiliates Vice President of Education and Career Services.
  • Future Focus LLC

    • In a world where hiring the wrong candidate can cost a company as much as twenty times the employee’s salary, Wonderlic product offerings are helping placement firm, Future Focus LLC to ensure identification and referral of A-Level candidates to every organization they support. The firm defines A-Level as someone in the top 10% of their perspective field of expertise.
  • Guidance Center

    • The Guidance Center , in New Rochelle, NY, is a state-funded, not-for-profit center that offers counseling, resources, job placement and advice to approximately 300 people each year, most of whom are in recovery from drug or alcohol dependency.
  • Indiana Business College

    • Indiana Business College’s number one goal has been to educate students and have them become productively employed. The college has developed an enviable reputation as a dedicated two-year Associate of Applied Science degree granting institution, graduating students from job-oriented programs into successful careers.

    Solution:Scholastic Level Exam (SLE)

  • Intermountain Farmers Association

    • Intermountain Farmers Association has been serving the needs of agriculture since 1923. From its humble beginnings in Gunnison, Utah, IFA has grown to an operation that includes more than 25 outlets in five states. It supplies feed, garden supplies, pest management, soil testing, fertilizer, and other assorted farming related products.

    Solution:Hay Aptitude Test Battery

  • Lehman

    • Lehman’s carries thousands of non-electric products, including hand-powered kitchen appliances, water pumps, gas refrigerators, a huge selection of wood and cook stoves, and hundreds of other hard-to-find items.

    Solution:Employee Reliability Inventory (ERI®)

  • Lithia Motors, Inc.

    • Lithia Motors, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 and Russell 2000 company that sells 24 brands of new vehicles and operates 83 stores and 152 franchises in 12 states in the Western United States and over the Internet through “Lithia.com-America’s Car & Truck Store.”.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • New Orleans Pipe Trades

    • The New Orleans Pipe Trades apprenticeship program for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 60 is a five-year training program in which apprentices receive education and work experience in their field of choice.
  • PC Helps Support

    • Maintaining a key level of service from PC Helps Support is just one of the reasons that Eric Harris, Manager of Recruiting contacted Wonderlic for support in identifying, assessing and retaining employees for their Computer Consultant position. After just a year of implementing the Wonderlic Talent Aquisition, turnover in the Computer Consultant position was reduced approximately 14% - of the 48 people hired last year, only 3 were lost.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • Queensboro Shirt Company

    • Founded in 1982 by college student Fred Meyers, The Queensboro Shirt Company has become the nation’s leading source for high-quality, customized, embroidered apparel at affordable prices.
  • Scott Chevrolet

    • Scott Chevrolet is one of the largest auto dealerships in the Emmaus, Penn. area with 130 employees. The dealership is located on the busy Lehigh Street Auto Mile in the company of a dozen or more competing dealerships.

    Solution:Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R)

  • SMECO

    • SMECO has more than 9,400 miles of line and provides power to more than 130,000 residential, commercial and individual customers, but it remains a cooperative corporation, owned by its members and operated for them on a non-profit basis.

    Solution:Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST)

  • Sweetwater Sound

    • Finding the right person for the job of sales engineer at Sweetwater Sound is, according to Director of Human Resources Jeff McDonald, “like finding a needle in a haystack.” McDonald explains that the sales engineer position is unique because candidates must have both left- and right-brained skills working at the same time. “Generally speaking, highly creative types aren’t necessarily also strong technically,” he says. “Good sales engineers need to be conversant, intuitive, caring and smart. They need great people skills to deliver the brand of outrageous customer service we’re famous for. They must be empathetic listeners, but also assertive enough to ultimately sell their product. The kicker is that they also need deep technical chops in the field of computer recording and music to sell these fairly complex products.”
  • Swift Driving Academy

    • One of 6 locations nationwide, Swift Driving Academy in San Antonio, Texas, offers students comprehensive a truck driving program with job placement within the Swift organization. Swift invests heavily in the students, so ensuring that students enter the program with the basic skills that predict success is critical.

    Solution:Scholastic Level Exam (SLE)

  • Wheel City Auto Sales

    • Wheel City Auto Sales has been providing dependable and affordable transportation to thousands of customers since 1993. The dealership is one of the largest independent dealers in the Sioux Falls, SD, area, stocking a full line of SUVs, vans, cars, trucks and motorcycles.

    Solution:Comprehensive Personality Profile® (CPP®)

  • Woodland School District

    • The Woodland School District serves over 7,000 children in grades K-8 and is located in northern Lake County, Illinois in the towns of Gurnee and Gages Lake.

Sample Questions

  • Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST) Sample Questions

    • The WBST is a short-form basic skills test used in educational testing. Designed for adults, the WBST is part of many career school admissions testing programs. Scores on the math test and English test can be directly compared to the levels of basic skills required for success in entry-level jobs.
  • Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised (WPT-R) Sample Questions

    • The WPT-R is our latest short-form employment test that measures cognitive ability or general intelligence, the strongest single predictor of employment success. As the successor to the traditional Wonderlic Personnel Test, the WPT-R incorporates new findings in employment research as well as the latest techniques in test development and scoring.